The Vietnam War Certificate of Honor was introduced as part of the 50th Anniversary Commemoration of the Vietnam War. The State of Georgia and the GDVS want to honor every Vietnam War veteran in the state with a personalized certificate.

The certificate is available to every Georgia veteran with honorable service during the Vietnam War. This includes veterans with service in country and those who served in other capacities.

You will need to complete a Standard Form 180 (SF 180), sign and mail it to the Military Records section of the National Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, MO. For assistance, you may contact any Georgia Department of Veterans Service office, or call the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at 800-827-1000 or visit http://www.archives.gov.

You must present your DD Form 214 to any office of the Georgia Department of Veterans Service for a review and then certification. If you qualify you will be issued a certificate signed by you and the certifying official. This certificate along with DD Form 214, are then taken to any office of the Georgia Department of Driver Services. This process cannot be completed by mail, email, or fax. You must go into one of our offices for review and certification.

I have been advised to apply to VA for compensation. What is compensation and how do I apply?

Compensation is a benefit program that evaluates a disability resulting from all types of diseases and injuries encountered because of military service. Generally, the degree of disability specified is also designed to compensate for considerable loss of working time from exacerbations or illnesses. We will be happy to assist you with the application process; visit any GDVS Veterans Field Service Office for assistance. For additional information concerning this benefit, see the compensation topic at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website.

I have been told that I should apply for VA benefits because my husband’s death was the result of a service-connected disability. What benefits am I entitled to, and how do I apply?

The entitlement is referred to as Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). This benefit pays a monthly payment to a surviving spouse, child, or parent of a veteran due to the veteran’s death being determined as service-connected. We will be happy to assist you with the application process; visit any GDVS Veterans Field Service Office for assistance. For additional information concerning this benefit, see the DIC topic at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Georgia Department of Veterans Service are limited, by law, to the extent they can help locate a veteran. VA will try to forward a letter to a veteran, but it is up to the veteran to contact the sender of the letter.

The proper procedure is to write a letter to the veteran and place it in an unsealed envelope, bearing the veteran’s name, with sufficient postage to cover mailing costs. A cover letter to VA should be included, giving complete identifying information about the veteran: full name, date of birth, last known address, service serial number, VA claim number if known, Social Security number, last military address, rank, and date of discharge.

If the address is located, VA will put it on the envelope and forward the letter to the veteran. Should no information be available or the letter is returned to VA, the writer’s original letter, but not the envelope, will be sent back to the requester.

The Georgia Department of Veterans Service does not maintain a list of all veterans living in Georgia. While we do maintain lists of veterans receiving services or assistance, that information is confidential and is not available to the public.

Lists of all veteran casualties with a Home of Record in Georgia are currently being developed. Anyone interested in using these lists will be able to search for information on past veterans by what conflict they served in, the county of the Home of Record, and year of death. When these lists are completed, they will become available under the History tab of our website.

The Georgia Department of Labor offers assistance to job-seeking veterans and their families. Job search workshops, résumé and cover letter assistance, and resources for transitioning into the civilian workforce are a few of the services that veterans are eligible for. Find more information at the Georgia Department of Labor's Veteran Assistance topic at http://www.dol.state.ga.us/js/find_vet_info.htm.

Job-seeking veterans may also be interested in Operation: Workforce. Veterans can find tools to translate their military occupational classifications into civilian jobs and search for career opportunities with employers who have pledged to hire veterans.

Operation: Workforce is a program developed by the Workforce Division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development specifically to connect job-seeking veterans with employers who want to hire them.

Please complete the online resume builder at Team Georgia's Careers website, the primary site for job announcements within Georgia state government, including GDVS. There is an option on the site to set up email notifications when new job openings become available.